Kate And William Ask His Former Nanny To Care For Prince George And Now I Want To Cry

Prince William and Kate Middleton have asked his former nanny, 71-year-old Jessica Webb to come out of retirement to help care for the little prince. Something about this makes me all weepy.

Don’t ask me to explain all of the royal baby fever – because I can’t. I can’t logically explain why as a child I loved watching Princess Diana get married, I can’t explain why I wept for days when she died and I can’t explain why I hold a special place in my heart for her kids. I just do, okay? Something about William choosing the nanny that Diana chose for him touches my heart.

In a way, I guess it makes me feel like Diana is able to participate in the rearing of her grandchildren a little. From the Mirror:

It was Princess Diana’s inspired choice to make her William’s main nanny at the age of seven before he went to prep school.

Prince Charles had at first favoured an old-school royal appointee.

It’s kind of ideal, if you think about it. Who better to raise your own children than the person you felt secure with as a child? It’s almost like having a grandmother look after your kids. Only it’s a grandmother you can pay and tell what to do. How perfect is that?

It always appeared that Diana was a fantastic mother who adored her kids. It’s nice to think that one of the decisions she made for her own children can be utilized again for her grandchild. My inexplicable royal-fascination continues as I wait to see if Jessica Webb accepts the job offer.

For a second, I thought you were weepy because they chose to have a nanny at all. I know a lot of sanctimommies who will shout and bitch that they were promised that they wouldn’t have a nanny…

But you’re right. I think that’s really sweet and the closest they’ll get to having Diana help them with anything new parents would need help with.

Whitney

I love this. I am like you with the weepiness. I loved Diana (because of my mom) and I carry a love for Will and Kate. They seem genuinely in love and like such a grounded couple. I love them trusting their baby in the hands of someone that Diana entrusted Wills to.

Gangle

I think that if they want a nanny, then by all means, they should absolutely have a nanny… but I feel like there is something very off-putting that they feel ok about asking a lady to come out of retirement just so they can do so.

G.S.

For the record, she’d probably be paid a crap-ton to do so. And I kind of picture it kind of like in those movies where they try to get the retired action star to go on one more mission because they’re the best of the best and can’t trust it to anyone else.

Gangle

I would be surprised if she wasn’t paid a crap-load to do so. It still seems really rude and demanding to me.. it isn’t as if they don’t have access to the best of the best, and to say that no-one else could be trusted is more than a bit hyperbolic.

whiteroses

Part of this is cultural. In England, women would start as nannies for families and stay with them literally their entire lives. In William’s case, his great-great-great uncle was developmentally delayed and put in the care of a nanny from the time he was a little boy until he died as a teenager. It’s been very common in the past for English nannies to look after a young child, then that child’s offspring, then a grandchild, and their job in a pine box.

Also- nobody said she HAD to accept the offer.

Tinyfaeri

On the surface, I can see what you’re saying…But this woman cared for and helped raise William and Harry during their worst times when their parents were getting divorced, and after. She kept in touch through their adult lives. She already knows a lot about raising a royal in their family in a day and age pretty close to this one. She’s not just a nanny that they’re ordering out of retirement, she’s basically a part of their family (who saw them about as much as their parents did for a number of formative years) that happens to be paid. More so for them because while she was caring for them and trying to shelter them from the worst of their parents’ fighting, they were not the ones paying her, they were just being cared for. I think it’s more personal than you’re giving credit.

CrazyFor Kate

There are a lot of 71-year-olds who are totally fine with going back to work. Maybe she actually wants to do it?